I would like to start a thread, similar to Orpheus’ jazz site, for lovers of classical music. I will list some of my favorite recordings, CDs as well as LP’s. While good sound is not a prime requisite, it will be a consideration. Classical music lovers please feel free to add to my lists. Discussion of musical and recording issues will be welcome.
I’ll start with a list of CDs. Records to follow in a later post.
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique. Chesky — Royal Phil. Orch. Freccia, conductor. Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Vanguard Classics — Vienna Festival Orch. Prohaska, conductor. Prokofiev: Scythian Suite et. al. DG — Chicago Symphony Abbado, conductor. Brahms: Symphony #1. Chesky — London Symph. Orch. Horenstein, conductor. Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat. HDTT — Ars Nova. Mandell, conductor. Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances. Analogue Productions. — Dallas Symph Orch. Johanos, cond. Respighi: Roman Festivals et. al. Chesky — Royal Phil. Orch. Freccia, conductor.
All of the above happen to be great sounding recordings, but, as I said, sonics is not a prerequisite.
Based on your recco ordered the Chandos Vaughan Williams CD with "Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus." You're completely right; this is a fabulous/addictive piece and recording.
Still haven't gotten the CD but am listening through Amazon music -- that automatically adds SOME of the CDs you buy to its media player. Sadly, this audio animal only produces MP3 files and these, truly, suck for quality orchestral playback. Can't wait to get the CD later this week, There is no sense of immediacy with MP3 -- the orchestra sounds distant and muffled (am using the best settings and computer equipment, btw).
Also took your advice and picked up the Chandos Pleyel Symphonies and the CPO Sinfonia Concertantes. Amazon puts about 1/5 of the CDs you buy into the AutoRip media player and only the symphonies appeared (suspect this is licensing -- does anyone know?). In any case, the Pleyel is what I remember from the Mozart quotes -- effortless and airy with a tendency towards casualness. Still, worth investigating.
Now its back to another listen of the "Dives." It's a keeper.
I hear that craig59, Hanover/ Goodman is an automatic must buy for me . I have a 13CD Nimbus set of all Schubert’s Symphonies with Goodman and much of his chamber and piano works . A jewel . N I1766.
Have to check it out -- know little about Pleyel other than his reputation. The Mozart Sinfonie Concertante (violin and viola) is one of my favorite works and provides 3 spectacular crescendos in the 1st movement. Plenty of great recordings but like the Smithsonian with original instruments.
If you enjoy Mozart and similar, but just want a slight change, here's Ignaz Pleyel, Symphony 3/ 2nd Symphonie Concertante/ 6th Symphonie Periodique. On CPO.
Beautiful, spacious, well-balanced recording. (Or perhaps it's just my system finally coming together and relaxing.)
Well, the clarity of Mozart's mind is heightened by the precise nature of many early music performances. Recently ran across a Nimbus CD of the Hanover Band/Goodman doing his most popular items: the g-minor symphony (#40), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and the Clarinet Concerto. Nothing special in this -- except the clarinetist is playing a "Basset Clarinet;" with a lower range than the modern instrument and sounding very, very smooth.
This used purchase set me back the handsome sum of fifty cents and has become my goto selection for the clarinet concerto -- one of those works you definitely should take with you to a desert island.
Well, the old saw the good is the enemy of the best IMO should be the revised to bad taste is the enemy of everything
I don’t know if it’s true or not but a Professor I had once said ."There will never be another Mozart , no one born in the age of television will ever have his clarity of mind " .
As I said I don’t know, but as someone who was around well before TV (and rock) it rings true for a LOT of things .
schubert: Decided to go with the remastered Boult set, along with some of the Stanford pieces mentioned above. Will let you know. Your comments about 78s reminds me of the point I made on the first post above; there are great performances out there that are sabotaged for some because of recording quality. I commend you on being able to get past that to the content below. Unfortunately, have been a musician and studio person for so long that I can no longer suffer bad fidelity. Think it was you that mentioned Alwyn, an interesting symphonist. Have grown to like his 4th symphony and Elizabethan Dances (on a Chandos release) and, so, ordered all 5 of the symphonies by LSO/Hickox. Amazon is having trouble with this delivery but will let you know my reactions when they arrive. Alywn's formal style is much different than Arnold's. He has, to my ears, a more consistent approach towards delivering and developing themes. So many superb English symphonists during the 20th century. Sad to think that the recent downturn in classical appreciation may have caused an end to this tradition.
I believe so craig59, but I have misplaced my cheat sheet and can’t say for sure, in any event I never heard a bad Boult . My real man with RVW is Vernon Hadley, nobody did more for English composers..IMO Handley was the most sensitive conductor of RVW and the Warner Classics are heavy on him with RLPO. LPO and others . I like good sound myself but can, and do at times , listen to a scratchy old 78 if the performance merits it .
There is a fine 30 CD set of RVW on Warner Classics, if memory serves about 60$ on Amazon . Vocals works are excellent .Nothing bad . Boult, Groves and Handley etc, all noted as RVW approved . Only drawback is no notes , but there is a rundown of same on Amazon I printed out .
@sevs As I type this, listening to Valentin Silvestrov: Symphony 5 + Postludium (Sony). Verdict is still out, but you might try it and see what you think. Not a strong recommendation, more of a try before you buy.
Craig, FWIW I doubt that Hovhaness is ever going to be more popular than he has been made by Mysterious Mountain. He's been around a long time and his music is a bit too eclectic for most. You might try another Schwartz/Seattle Performance on Mount St Helens/City of Light Symphonies on Delos.
I grew up with Reiner and the CSO performance of Mysterious Mountain on Living Stereo and I still like it a lot. On LP and a good system it is outstanding, I think.
Sevs: Recently picked up the Seattle Symphony/Schwartz recording of Hovhaness's Mysterious Mountain and God Created Great Whales CD. Has become a regular listen and am wondering if Hovhaness, like some of the English symphonists mentioned on this thread, will turn out to be a winning historical figure.
BTW, can the pundits on this thread recommend a complete Vaughan Williams symphony set? Would like to investigate the works en toto.
Have always found Haydn Symphonies difficult -- they are not quite as dramatic as Mozart's later works and most performances do not bring me back for repeated listenings.
Then, this last year, found the Thomas Fey/Heidelberger Sinfonien Haydn CDs. These performances work for me -- very powerful and the content is perfectly matched to the performance style. They are available online. Listed as "Complete Symphonies" they seem available only as individual CDs.
The other candidate is the London Mozart Players/Glover sets that make a close second for me.
At the risk of stating the obvious: Tallis Scholars, Allegri, "Miserere".
I've listened to a good deal of this style of music, and this piece and this recording still come out tops. In my secondary system which is in a room with a cathedral ceiling (no pun intended) the acoustics are extraordinary.
I don't doubt as many atheists listen to religious music as believers terry9 , of course its open to all . I’ve known atheists who live more Christian lives than most Christians do . The 3 or 4 I’ve known well were all lovers of life who were "jilted " lovers by the evil so called believers cause and the good they don’t do .
I have both the LP and CD of the Yale LvB and IMO $214 is too much . My LP set is now undergoing cryo at -12F in my MN storage locker, maybe that will change my mind .
"The Late LvB Quartets " by the Yale Qt. Damned right. $214 may seem like a lot to those who don’t know the music or the performance, though.
@sfseay
Atheists enjoy religious music too. Some of my favourite music is directly religious in nature: Gregorian Chant, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd. And most of Bach, of course. Why not try it, whether you are religious or not?
While searching for RVWillians thru all the shelves, cabinets, and boxes, I was listening to Alan Hovhaness Symphony No.50 "Mount St. Helens" (DELOS SE 3711)... By its 3rd Movement, The Eruption, I have almost s$%#t myself! I could not believe that my lowly Naim Audio can produce the sound of such Volcanic proportions! It is my favorite Holst and Kitaro combined, stunning!!!
I have never seen a Nonesuch CD of that . Another Ristenpart Nonesuch LP I treasure is Haydn’s Symphonies 7,8, 9 "Morning", "Noon" and "Night " . with lovely Sarre CO . There are vinyl of these on Amazon . Some of Haydn’s most charming works on any label .
A couple more. R. Strauss's Alpine Symphony is remarkably neglected for a composer boasting a number of warhorses.
And talking of warhorses, an excellent "demonstration disk" is Patrick Doyle's theme music for the movie Henry V; Simon Rattle + CBSO. There are some stirring moments.
Just listening to a Nonesuch record I bought over a half a century ago, with some of the best sound ever recorded. It’s of Bach Cantatas No.140 and No. 57. Karl Ristenpart leads definitive performances of these wonderful works. “Selig ist der Mann “ is a not well known, but gorgeous cantata, along with the ever popular “Wachet auf....”
I’m not sure if this cantata series ever made it to CD.
twoleftears, FWIW I agree with your recommendation of Ernest Farrar's Orchestral Works on Chandos. Unfortunately he has a very thin discograph. :-(
Craig, I prefer the Chandos set as well.
And, for 'English-oriented' aficionados I can easily recommend Stanford's Piano Concerto on Chandos. The disc mate is "Concert Variations upon an English Theme 'Down Amound the Dead Men'. Fingerhut on the piano, conducted by Vernon Handley and the Ulster Orchestra.
Chandos recorded all of Stanford's Symphonies but this is the only thing that really brings me back. I'm quite fond of it.
TwoLeftEars (et al): Just got the Tabakova in and have previewed the CD; it is impressive indeed, Highly sophisticated compositional style with spectacular string playing. Who knew the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra had these kind of chops (Tabakova does, apparently)? The piece that immediately appealed to me was the cello concerto. With its unison opening and minimalist style, it screams "Play Me Loud on a good audio system!" The second hearing was even more enjoyable. BTW, the other unison-influenced movement that I have been listening to recently is the first movement of the Borodin Second Symphony. Blast away, Russian nationalists. For the English-oriented aficionados, have just gotten the complete Chandos set of Arnold symphonies by (mostly) LSO and Hickox. These performance are so much better than the earlier Arnold CDs I have that they reawaken interest in this all too often ignored composer. Each symphony is another journey and explores, anew, tonal, contrapuntal, and performance capabilities. Again, the performance makes the composer. And, although one could occasionally complain about a certain "corny" nature to Arnold's melodies, this minor complaint does not detract. Keep those recommendations coming, TwoLeftEars. If you provide the perfect suggestion we will send you a right ear...or maybe two.
No, no, even better (if that's possible) than the other RV-W suggestions, all of which are great, are his Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus. I have the Chandos recording. Bliss.
November edition of Gramophone has RAVE reviews of both " A London Symphony " and "Symphony Antarctica" . Former on Hyperion with BBC SO/Brabbins , later on Chandos with Bergen Phil./Sir Andrew Davis . Former "essential listening for all RVW devotees" , later"a distinguished release" .Sound is always good on both labels. Chandos esp.usually has great depth . . I've never forgotten a quip made by Gramophone reviewer many years ago. "The difference between RVW and Bartok is the difference between English and Hungarian folk-music " .
Re: RVWilliams My favorite of his is Symphony #2 “A London Symphony” Captures the city with Big Ben and street sounds, musically interpolated. Truly wonderful work.
Also “A Sea Symphony” (Symphony #1). The opening bars are thrilling — an evocation of the sea.
“Symphony Antarctica” is actually from a film score evoking the aloneness of that continent.
@schubert keep 'em coming!!! RVWilliams is buried somewhere in my CD collection, shall dig it out tomorrow. The beauty of spending all my "allowances" on music is that gems are hidden there just waiting to be discovered :-) Reading Tchaikovsy's note: "worked a bit, walked in the park, cried a lot" I stopped being ashamed of crying while listening to Manfred or Pathetique: shall try to figure out what exactly u were recommending...
@scott_w my Oh, God! moment happened at the sweet age of 10+, when my parents dragged me, screaming and kicking, at Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto. That a-ha moment was unforgettable! What a terrible blow to my convictions that BoneyM and BeeGees is an epitome of musical progression to Heaven!
sevs, you are more than welcome . Does an old mans heart good to read your post ! A composer that is hardly unknown , Ralph Vaughan Williams, IMO still is not recorded or played enough .One of his pieces"The Lark Ascending" if not the most plain beautiful piece ever written is right up there with whatever is .
There are many fine recordings , best deal is Sarah Chang on EMI with Haitink and London SO as 4 other of his most popular works are a bonus . If you feel like crying{no joke} the recent one with Nicola Benedetti will get you there .
To all , I don’t think Telemann has been mentioned, Bach’s buddy and his near equal wrote about as much music as anyone has and it’s all worth listening to .A half-dozen of his works were attributed to Back for several centuries and nobody was the wiser .
A compilation of his best Concertos are on EMI 5 034345-2 with Berlin Baroque Soloists , His One for Oboe d’amore and Viola d’amore is to die for. Sound is excellent, I used this for years as my demo CD for purchases .
I agree with Schubert. The doctor had very eclectic, excellent taste. I think that it would be difficult and not very helpful for us to start picking choices for you. That would be our taste. You should develop your own taste.
Schubert has some very good guidelines above. Start with the more well known composers. In my experience, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Vivaldi appeal to neophytes most. The doctor’s taste was quite far reaching, so you might find other composers that appeal to you. It can be an exciting venture of discovery for you.
Many/most of the CD’s are excellent recordings of great music . The Doc had VERY good taste !
Given that classical music has many different genres within itself I would think you would make more selling one at a time . Few people like all kinds. One the other hand the market for classical is small and getting smaller and that might take a long time . You can just grab a CD and start listening, there are no rules . Most people I know started with Symphonies and moved to solo piano, string quartets etc. Some do the opposite . Religious people are often drawn to choir music of a religious bent . IMO the best composers to start with are Mozart, Schubert, Bach , Beethoven ,Tchaikovsky and Monteverdi . If you like solo piano Chopin and Schumann.
I would really like someone’s opinion here. Last weekend I picked up a collection of classical CDs from a retired doctor and I don’t know where to start in regards to listening. I’m a classical music neophyte. I bought the collection for what I considered to be a good price with hopes of selling the entire collection to make a few bucks. The collection is listed for sale on Audiogon and consists of over 800 CDs of which 99% are classical.
Now im thinking there may be some diamonds in the collection I should listen to.
Could somebody help a brother out and give me a quick assessment of what I have? I am starting to come to the conclusion that buying these as a collection to resell might have been a mistake.
I took the the time to enter all info on each CD (using barcode scan, catalog number and manual entry) and have posted a link to the collection in the Audiogon listing. The collection is listed on Discogs here - https://cloud.collectorz.com/sfseay/music.
Hopefully a kind soul here will give me an honest opinion of this collection.
@schubert Do not be lazy: once you place another gem onto your TT/CD spinner, just make a post here!!! I am trying to keep up with you, my Amazon shopping cart has never been so good!!! Million Thanks!!!!!
This week I am rediscovering my Alan Hovhaness collection, keep wondering why did I waste so much time following recent Prog-Rock outfits: the answer was collecting dust in my collection!
One that didn't get lost of Janacek's piano music , some of the most original, charming and lyrical music written by any modern composer, is Rudolf Firkusny playing his 3 most famous pieces on RCA 60147-2RC . A CD with very good sound that is truly iconic .
One of mine as well twoleftears . 117,118 ,119 are comfort food . Lupe is at his finest in Brahms and Schubert IMO buts he's so good on everything whose to say . A fabulous LP I used to have was Lupu doing the piano works of one of my very favorite modern composers , Leos Janacek, was to die for but its long gone .
rvpiano, Glad you enjoyed Grechaninov. I think few people have heard this music, too bad. :-)
Now for something else that I consider absolutely delightful. Debussy's La Boite a Joujoux and Rossini/ Respighi's La Boutique Fantasique. Toy boxes and toy shops. The former I have on a CD by Tortelier and the Ulster Orchestra (with Ravel's Me Mere l'Oye - Mother Goose ballet) on Chandos, and the latter on a Telarc CD with Rachmaninoff/Respighi's Cinq Etudes-Tableaux as a disc mate.
Now for something a tad more contemporary, but both tonal and very assessible as well as engaging - Menotti. A compilation of his works on a Chandos CD by Richard Hickox and the Spotelo Festival Orchestra. I discovered Menotti on another disc which contains Sebastian and Amahl and the Night Visitors (as well as Samuel Barber's Souvenirs ballet suite). A Koch CD. Also an excellent recording which I've loved for over 25 years.
You made my day rvpiano . The Frank has always been a favorite of mine , usually have 3-4 different renditions . I remember the first time I heard this one thinking "so that’s how you do it" ! And I had heard great artists , Menuhin and his sister, do it live .As you no doubt know, Chung has had many health problems , her technique is nowhere as good as it once was, but hearing her live recently was a masterclass.Still a magnificent musician and damn the technique . Lupu is Lupu . Like Liszt was Lizst .
P.S. I hope you haven’t forgotten how fine his String Quartet in D is . Used to have a killer version of that by the Fitzwilliam Qt. on Decca . It surely must be one of the hardest Qt's to play in the rep, about like late LvB .
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